#Repost @thisdateinpiratehistory ・・・ • 10 February •On #thisdateinpiratehistory in 1722,

#Repost @thisdateinpiratehistory ・・・ • 10 February • On #thisdateinpiratehistory in 1722, Bartholomew Roberts was killed in battle off of Cap Lopez. After James Skyrme and the crew aboard the Ranger were captured by Capt Chaloner Ogle a few days prior, Roberts and his remaining men had seized the merchant ship Neptune. Many of them were drunk from celebration when Ogle’s HMS Swallow reappeared on the horizon. When Roberts saw the ship approaching, he thought it was the Ranger returning, but a deserter from Swallow confirmed it was the Royal Navy ship bearing down on them. He knew he had to come up with a plan, and fast. Their best bet, he figured, would be to sail straight toward the Swallow and then past it. While it would expose them to a vicious broadside, he knew that if they survived it they would be able to escape. Knowing their chances were slim, he dressed himself for battle in true Roberts’ fashion: “Roberts himself made a gallant figure, at the time of the engagement, being dressed in a rich crimson damask waistcoat and breeches, a red feather in his hat, a gold chain round his neck, with a diamond cross hanging to it, a sword in his hand, and two pairs of pistols slung over his shoulders …“ - GHP As the Royal Fortune came upon and past the Swallow, the helmsman was unable to keep the ship on course, allowing the Royal Navy ship to deliver not one, but two devastating broadsides. Roberts was hit by grape shot on the second pass; a fatal blow which cut open his throat. He collapsed across the blocks and tackles of a gun, where his body was found by a member of his crew. Before his remains could be captured by Ogle, Roberts’ men weighed his body down, wrapped it in the ship’s sail and, according to Roberts’ own wishes, threw his body overboard. The battle raged on for two more hours but when their mainmast fell, the pirates had no choice but to signal for quarter and surrender. The death of Bartholomew Roberts shocked the pirate world, and is widely believed to mark the end of the Golden Age of Piracy. . . . . . #piratehistory #piratehistorypodcast #pirates #historyofpirates #bartholomewroberts #pirateship #goldenageofpiracy https://www.instagram.com/p/CZzddvwFABq/?utm_medium=tumblr -- source link

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